Raul Perez St Jacques 'Ultreia' Mencia 2017

$21.33$16.95

Wine Advocate 93"The clean, floral and 2017 Ultreia Saint Jacques comes mostly from old vineyards from different soils in Valtuille and Villadecanes fermented in stainless steel and oak vats with part of full clusters and matured in used barriques for one year. It's produced in a fresh and very drinkable way. This is one of the best values from Bierzo and Spain, and a great introduction to Bierzo. It's a more serious wine than what ... read more

Item Description

Wine Advocate 93"The clean, floral and 2017 Ultreia Saint Jacques comes mostly from old vineyards from different soils in Valtuille and Villadecanes fermented in stainless steel and oak vats with part of full clusters and matured in used barriques for one year. It's produced in a fresh and very drinkable way. This is one of the best values from Bierzo and Spain, and a great introduction to Bierzo. It's a more serious wine than what the wine was when it was first produced, fresh and elegant. It's very reliable and a great value. There are some 100,000 bottles that were filled in two production runs."

Decanter 93"A field blend of Mencia, Alicante Bouschet, Pan y Carne and some white varieties, fermented with natural yeast in old oak tanks using 100% stems and no temperature control. It undergoes malo in tank and then spends one year in old barrels. There's no remontage or pigeage, and he works without sulphites. This has bright, fresh blueberry and cranberry fruit with a rasp of tannin and a savoury, saline sign-off. Drinking Window 2020 - 2024"

Tasting Notes"There is a part of the 2017 Ultreia, from grapes grown on slate soils in the Ponferrada zone, that Pérez thinks are responsible for a faint animal character in the wine. The rest of the grapes are sourced in Valtuille de Abajo on clay soils. The palate revealed some grainy tannins and a dry finish. 7,000 bottles were filled in June 2017."

The WineVillage: Valtuille de AbajoVineyard: VariousYear of plantation: 1900-1940Hectares: 5Soil: ClayVarieties: Mostly Mencía with Bastardo (Trousseau), Garnacha Tintorera (Alicante Bouschet)Elaboration: 80% whole cluster fermentation in large oak vats. Macerations of between two and five months. Aging in various vessels: 225L, 500L, foudre and cement. Bottled without fining or filtration.

The EstateRaúl Pérez makes wine in several different regions of Spain’s northwest, but he makes his home (and some of his finest wines) in Bierzo. The wines in the Ultreia series follow the Burgundy model: a pair of entry-level “village” wines from multiple sites and then a collection of single-vineyard expressions. The majority of these vineyards are located in the village of Valtuille de Abajo, where the Pérez family has lived and worked for generations.

Also included under the Bodegas y Viñedos Raúl Pérez label are some wines from outside of Bierzo. His two most coveted (and limited) red wines, El Pecado and La Penitencia, hail from the Amandi zone of the Ribeira Sacra D.O. There are also two wines that correspond to the Tierra de León D.O., a white from the Albarín grape (not Albariño) and a red from Prieto Picudo.

The final wine in this collection is Sketch Albariño, undoubtedly Raúl’s most famous bottling. Contrary to popular belief and, indeed, some reports in major media outlets, this wine is not aged underwater. It is, however, one of the finest white wines produced in Spain, and demand for it always outpaces supply.

Bodegas y Vinedos Raul Perez

Raúl Pérez makes wine in several different regions of Spain's northwest, but he makes his home (and some of his finest wines) in Bierzo. The wines in the Ultreia series follow the Burgundy model: a pair of entry-level "village" wines from multiple sites and then a collection of single-vineyard expressions. The majority of these vineyards are located in the village of Valtuille de Abajo, where the Pérez family has lived and worked for generations.

Also included under the Bodegas y Viñedos Raúl Pérez label are some wines from outside of Bierzo. His two most coveted (and limited) red wines, El Pecado and La Penitencia, hail from the Amandi zone of the Ribeira Sacra D.O. There are also two wines that correspond to the Tierra de León D.O., a white from the Albarín grape (not Albariño) and a red from Prieto Picudo.

The final wine in this collection is Sketch Albariño, undoubtedly Raúl's most famous bottling. Contrary to popular belief and, indeed, some reports in major media outlets, this wine is not aged underwater. It is, however, one of the finest white wines produced in Spain, and demand for it always outpaces supply.